


Washed Ashore

by comealonghutch



Category: British Actor RPF, Henry Cavill - Fandom, Mermaid Au - Fandom
Genre: F/M, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-15 04:49:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2216415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/comealonghutch/pseuds/comealonghutch





	Washed Ashore

Henry was home in Jersey; the largest of the Channel Islands, for a small holiday away from the hectic lifestyle that is Los Angeles. He had left his rather large family to take a short walk along the shore. The shade of the horizon a deep orange signalling a beautiful end to another day. The waves crashed along the rocks. As he got close enough to the water the water misted his face leaving a salty residue and scent. A specific smell that he had missed. The smell of the ocean in California isn't the same. It just makes him homesick.

He kept walking along the shoreline getting farther away from other residents on the beach. He could hear the sand crunching underneath his sneakers. A sound he has secretly enjoyed since he was a child. He basked in rays of the days last light, sometimes shutting his eyes to listen to the ocean and the seagulls above.

Henry listened a while longer until he realized a different tone in the sea birds. It wasn't their usual squaking. He turned his attention to the sky and noticed them circling above a certain area. When he glanced in that direction he saw the silhouette of a body lying amongst the sand. Henry's heart started pounding faster thinking it was a dead body. His feet began to move in motion towards the body. The friction of the sand giving his thighs an unintentional workout.

As he got close he realized that there was something different about it. He actually had to stop and rub his eyes a few times. But every trick he tried his brain came to the same conclusion.

There in front of him was a mermaid.

He walked towards the creature but kept a tentative distance. From where he was he could see that the chest of the being was moving up and down. He took that time to take in the sight in front of him. Her back was to him. Her hair was the brightest red he had ever seen, wet and matted to her back. His eyes traveled from her tangled hair to the skin of her back. It was so pale and pure. The thought of sand dirtying it bothered him. Henry's eyes then fell on the tail. An intricate pattern of scales the colour of cerulean. The colour once bright in the water but now fading from the dry air.

A cough escaped the now conscious mermaid causing Henry to step back out of fear but the sound of her angelic voice brought him closer.

"Where am I?" she asked, thinking she was alone.

"Jersey, love," Henry had replied a little shakily. He surprised himself about how calm he was acting in the situation. But part of him thought he was hallucinating so he carried on.

She turned around scared at what she was going to face. She had never been on land before. She took a glance or two from time to time but never made it this close. Her father was always telling her stories of the people that live on land killing those who wash ashore. The tales haunting her ever since she was a child. Her tiny heart began to beat quickly in her small chest.

Henry's tense face relaxed at the sight of her. Her facial features incomparable to any woman he's ever seen. Her cheeks and lips were tinted a peachy pink. Her eyes large and green shielded by large lashes. Her breasts bare and exposed the cool air causing her nipples to harden. 

"Who are you?" she whispers melodically.

"My name is Henry. Do you have a name?"

"Avalon," she responded avoiding his gaze.

"Are you hurt, Avalon?" Henry was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. Avalon was unsure how much longer he'd let her live.

"I don't think so… just beached," she wanted to giggle but didn't feel it was a laughing matter. "You're not planning on killing me are you?" 

Henry's eyes widened and brows furrowed, "What?! No. Where would you get an idea like that?"

Avalon's cheeks went from peach to scarlet, "My father used to tell me stories about you land folk. You don't seem that bad."

In fact, the more Avalon looked at Henry the more calmer she got. He was nice and he was handsome. Unlike any merman she'd ever seen. He was wearing strange material that was covering his skin but underneath she could tell that he was very muscular. In that moment, she wanted so badly to touch his arms and the stubble along his chin.

He laughed the delightful sound filling her ears, "I can assure you I'm not a bad… land person."

"I've never talked to one of you before," she admits, "Strange we speak the same language isn't it?"

"I'm still stuck on the fact that there is a mermaid in my presence to be honest," Henry replied, "To us, humans?" Avalon cringed at the word, "…land people, mermaids are wonderful mythical creatures that travel the oceans. We even have a movie called the Little Mermaid."

Avalon's face contorted, "What's a movie?"

Henry pondered her questions for a moment, "Like moving pictures."

Her eyes glistened a smile forming on her face, the first one since she got stuck. The thought of moving pictures fascinated her. She turned to face him crossing her legs to hear more about these so called movies but there was something alarming on Henry's face.

"What is it?"

"Avalon. Your tail turned into legs!"

"My what?!" She glanced down and saw that Henry was in fact right. Where her tail used to be, two stumps attached to the rest of her body. She stretched them out in front of her flabbergasted. "How did this happen?"

Henry looked around partially because he was confused but mostly because Avalon was now fully naked in front of him. In his attempts to give her some privacy his eyes caught a glimpse of the moon. It was full and bright in the sky.

"Maybe it's a full moon thing?" he shared his theory.

"The myths are true. Full moons do give merfolk legs." Avalon began to shiver from the absence of the sun. "What's happening to me?"

"You're just cold," Henry comforted her, "Here."

He sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her body. She was tense at first then gave into the heat coming off his body. Once he was sure she was comfortable with him touching her he started to rub his hands up and down her arms and legs.

"Will your tail grow back? Or are you stuck like this forever?" he asked her as he continued to run his hands over her chilled skin. In the moonlight, it looked like her skin was sparkling and Henry couldn't help but stare.

"From what I've heard it will come back once the sun begins to rise. How long do I have?" She was curious how long she'll have with her new legs. She wanted to use her time wisely before she was forced back to sea.

"The days are long now. I'd say four hours," Henry said wondering if she knew what an hour was. She didn't question it so he assumed she did.

"Let me give you my sweater," he took off his large sweater which he almost didn't take for his stroll and handed it over to Avalon. She held the fabric in her hand and looked at it confused.

"How do you put this on?" 

"Here," Henry took it from her and scrunched it up to the neck hole, "stick your head in here. Now put each arm into these holes." 

The sweater was massive on her petite frame but it covered everything that needed to be. She hugged herself in it and took in the scent of this man. She wanted to remember everything about him.

"Now that I'm warm let's see what these land legs can do!"

To be cont'd.


End file.
